Toxins Out... Beauty In

My Natural Beauty Routine

It's June! That mean's Summer is on it's way! I feel like I have missed a majority of the Spring season with all of you, BUT I am back now, I am officially a college grad, and I'm lovin' the freedom baby! I wanted to give a quick little update- I am going to try to make Tuesday or Friday my posting day. I'll toy around with both and see which fits my schedule better, but, one way or another you will be hearing from me weekly (finally)!!!

Let's get down to it!

For years now I have been trying to stray away from taking in too many chemical-y foods and trying to eat pretty clean and natural. I'm no die-hard-organic-only-gluten-free-vegan, but I do like to keep my diet about 75% healthy. (Funny thing though- I found out recently I'm gluten intolerant. If you'd like me to talk about my adjustment to gluten-free living let me know in the comments below.) Anyways, sidetracked! So I've been trying to be careful with what I'm eating so I can stay healthy, right? But something I've neglected to be overly cautious about is what I'm putting into the largest organ in my body- my skin. Yes, your skin is an organ, and yes, it absorbs the chemicals you put on it just like your other organs do. I got a freaky weird rash thing and I realized a lot of the stuff I was reading about the possible causes pointed to chemicals being bad. Duh, right? So I began the re-thinking of my skin care routine- which I've always dubbed as terrific, but now can say is better than ever- and my skin is thanking me for it in more ways than one. So I wanted to share my secrets with you all and help some sistas out!

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1. I always shower at night so that I can slather myself up with coconut oil after my shower and let it all absorb while I am sleeping. That being said, it's up to you what time of day you want to shower, night is just my personal preference. In the shower I like to wash my hair every three days with my sulfate-free shampoo which I talked about in my LOVELY LOCKS post. In between washes I use a super attractive shower cap to keep my hair dry ;).

2. After the hair is clean I use a big claw clip and hold 'er up so my body wash and such doesn't get on my hair- maybe a little bit of an OCD step but I don't care. 

3. Next, I remove any makeup I'm wearing with some extra-light olive oil which you can literally get at any grocery or drug store. 

4. Now, the face! I got this amazing face wash recently that I have been L O V I N G to death. I mean it's so good that my boyfriend wants to use it when he comes over (shhh... don't tell him I said that) it's amazing. It is the one and only DARK ANGELS BY LUSH *cue the heavenly chorus. This face wash is heaven on earth for people with sensitive, breakout-prone skin like me. It has charcoal in it to draw out impurities, avocado oil to condition your skin, salt to exfoliate- it's just everything good and all-natural-chemical-free in one little black pot. 


5. Gotta tone that beautiful face to balance your pH levels in your skin and remove any excess dirt and oil from your skin. I tone my face using diluted apple cider vinegar. I just pour some onto a cotton ball, run it under a light trickle of water and wipe my face and neck and sometimes even my back down. Apple cider vinegar is also great to use as a spot treatment for pimples. I just dip a Q-Tip into some vinegar and dot it on my breakouts a couple times a day and voila! They clear up in no time. 

6. When it comes to body wash I have always been in love with Dove <3 I've never had any issues with using this body wash and my skin stays so soft and supple. Along with cleansing, I always try to do a good exfoliation once per week to get rid of any icky dead skin. I love my TREE HUT SHEA SUGAR BODY SCRUB IN THE SCENT COCONUT LIME! The smell makes me feel like I've escaped to a cabana somewhere on an island. :) Heavenly.


7. I alternate between shaving a waxing depending on how brave and/or lazy I feel. When I wax I use NAIR BRAZILLIAN SPA CLAY WAX which is probably the easiest wax I've ever used because it's water soluble which means it'll wash off with water. No messy post-wax oil and painful scrubbing. When I shave I love to use my SCHICK INTUITION RAZOR and extra light olive oil. Beware though, you may need to take a dry cloth to the floor of your shower afterwards because the oil will leave residue on it. 


8. As I mentioned above, after my showers I like to slather up with my favorite organic coconut oil and go to bed. I put coconut oil everywhere- even my face! This makes my skin baby soft, I smell like a delicious coconut, and my skin has been clearer and I hardly ever get breakouts now!

9. Finally, I like to deem one evening per week my personal at-home spa day where I take a detox bath, use a face mask (my FAVORITE face mask is MASK OF MAGNAMINTY BY LUSH Love love looooove it!), do a hair mask, pore strips, fix up my nails, and sleep with cotton gloves and socks on over heavy cream to keep my hands and feet all soft. This is my way of tightening up any loose ends in my beauty routine each week and taking some time for myself to relax and reboot after a long week. I highly suggest it to everyone- especially any of you who are stressed. It literally only takes an hour and I feel so great afterwards. 

Hope you've enjoyed the read! Stay tuned for more posts from me <3

...Vanessa...